Wednesday, September 21, 2011

ABG Day celebrations

ABG stands for ‘Autonomous Bougainville Government’, and on 15 June the celebrated the anniversary of when the ABG first started in 2005. It was a very ceremonious occasion, with the Governor General of PNG coming, and there’s a lot of protocol involved with that.

Sir Michael Ogio, GG of PNG, and in the background, spectators with their cameras out, and people dressed up ready to perform traditional dances.

Have I mentioned that Sir Michael Ogio is a Teop speaker from the inland dialect? I have met his relatives and visited his village.

Here he is giving his speech:

The President of the ABG, Chief John Momis, was also present and gave a speech. This is a picture of him:

Three flags flying – PNG flag, Bougainville flag, PNG royal flag (flown to signify the presence of the GG):

A traditional dance group. I forget where this group was from. Maybe Central or South Bougainville.

A female dance group from the Carterets Islands.

Men from Mortlock Atoll. Their items are always a real hit as they are so different from what the other groups in Bougainville do. It reminds me of the Maori Haka dance, but it is different. Its popularity draws the crowd in closer to get a good look, as you can see in the background.